May be Richard has another more important and urgent file that he is working on at Edelman?? But wait, the Murdoch‘s phone hacking scandal is the talk of the whole wide world. Easily the largest “crisis” any corporations have ever seen. A multi-billion dollars deal was killed because of this. Some suspect the scandal has the potential of bringing down or severely weaken Murdoch‘s media empire (a media company without trust or respect is not much if anything). And even capable of bringing down a government (just look at David Cameron’s recent damage control and tell me he is not worried)!

The creditability of a man, especially a newsman, takes a lifetime to earn. I hope Richard‘s creditability and reputation can remain intact after the Rupert Murdoch‘s phone hacking scandals have passed with whatever outcome it will result in.

“Richard Sambrook, the BBC’s Director of Global News and a member of the BBC’s Management Board for the last ten years, will be joining Edelman, the world’s largest independent PR firm, as Global Vice Chairman and Chief Content Officer in May.

He will be the firm’s first-ever Chief Content Officer, helping Edelman clients produce written, video and audio content to tell their own stories in direct and engaging ways. Sambrook will report to EMEA President and CEO David Brain and will be based in London. He will also sit on the Global Executive Committee, chaired by Richard Edelman.

Global CEO and President Richard Edelman said: “We are delighted to have someone of Richard’s caliber and experience joining our global team. His journalism and senior media company management resume is difficult to rival; equally important to us and our clients, Richard has been at the forefront of the digitization of news and its interaction with the audience and stakeholders. Through his work establishing several BBC News channels (BBC News 24, BBC World News, BBC Arabic, BBC Persian) and his own long-term and personal commitment to social media, he understands very well how the audience is now – to use his own words – ‘on the pitch’, how content and news must be shaped by the needs of the consumer, and the new opportunities provided by social technologies.”

David Brain, Edelman President and CEO EMEA, commented: “With the fragmentation and decline in many traditional forms of media, every company needs to become its own media company. It has to tell its own story and in ways that people can easily engage with, share and shape. [Kempton’s note: key words for a PR firm are “shape” and also engage & share in this order.] That’s sometimes easier to say than it is to do. In Richard, we now have one of the world’s most accomplished creators and managers of content to help our clients do just this.”

Richard Sambrook said: “I’m delighted to be joining Edelman in this new senior role. They are a firm which I have long respected. Edelman’s leadership with digital media and their work on Trust and public engagement sets them apart, and I’m greatly looking forward to helping to develop their content production and their approach to crisis and issues management. [Kempton’s note: in Richard’s own words “approach to crisis and issues management“]”

“It is impossible to overestimate the impact Mike Seymour has had on our business since he has been here,” said Richard Edelman. “He is one of the world’s best known and most respected crisis counselors. He has personally managed international crises for companies such as Bechtel, Coca-Cola, Hoffman LaRoche, Heineken, Nike and Unilever. He has also created a global network of more than 150 crisis experts across the Edelman office and affiliate network around the world that we believe is unrivalled. He is irreplaceable, and consequently I am delighted to say that he will continue in a senior counselor role after helping Richard get up-to-speed.””